To See A Child Smile

Volunteer Has Always Loved Working With Kids

SMITHFIELD — More than 40 years separate Sandy Schlaudecker from her two sisters and brother:

Natlie, a 14-year-old girl, has only been Schlaudecker's little sister for three years.

Marquel, 7, her other sister, has known Schlaudecker for two years.

Ra'Sion, a 10-year-old boy, only one year.

The three children are black; Schlaudecker is white. All four have different mothers and fathers.

Also different from most families: Schlaudecker and her siblings chose to be together.

Schlaudecker, a three-year volunteer with the Middle Peninsula Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, has proven to be an ideal Big Sister to her three siblings and has been named Virginia's Big Sister of the Year.

"My best reward is having a child smile and knowing that my time is appreciated by the child and family," she said. "It's also rewarding to see them accelerate and excel in school."

Schlaudecker, who is 47, began volunteering when she was a Girl Scout in high school. She volunteered at a local hospital and at a cerebral palsy clinic.

"This began my desensitization of working with handicapped people," she said.

After graduating from college with a master's degree in speech pathology, Schlaudecker started a job with a Kentucky school for severely handicapped children. There, she helped parents understand exactly what they were entitled to as far as funding and education for their children.

She got married, and her husband's job caused them to move -- a lot -- to Mexico, Italy and Germany, before returning to America.

At an elementary school in Virginia, Schlaudecker began working as a speech pathologist.

"I have never worked with so many children who were able to receive free lunch," said Schlaudecker. "It was a real eye opener."

She learned here that a little bit of attention could do a world of good for a child. So when she saw an advertisement in a movie theater for the Big Brother, Big Sister program, she jumped at the chance.

She has since retired from her position as a speech pathologist and begun volunteering full time.

As a resident of Smithfield, Schlaudecker works with her church, Trinity United Methodist, as a Sunday school teacher, choir member and secretary. As the 30th anniversary of her high school graduation nears, she is helping to organize the festivities. She serves as the secretary for her homeowners' association and is helping the historic preservation group in Smithfield with two new museums, one for ham, and another for preserving a school house once used exclusively by blacks.

"All this is done outside of my typical soccer mom duties," she said. "My son, Adam, plays baseball, and I go to all his games and practices."

After becoming a sister of three and an advocate for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, Schlaudecker was asked to become a member of the organization's board of directors. One of her goals as a member of the board was to bring the program to Isle of Wight. She has accomplished that and gained the respect of colleagues.

"(Sandy) is an exceptional Big Sister who gives much of her time to the agency as a Big Sister and recently also as a board member," said Kirsten Erikson, executive director of the Peninsula branch. "This dual role demonstrates her phenomenal dedication to the agency."

The opinion of her siblings remains more important to her. Natlie, her eldest little sister, and the one who has been with her longest, looks to Schlaudecker for friendship as well as mentoring.